SEO and AI SEO red flags: claims to walk away from

Why is a guaranteed ranking a red flag?

No one controls where Google ranks a page, so a ranking guarantee is either a promise the provider cannot keep or a promise about something of little value. Google's guidance on hiring an SEO says “no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google”, and tells businesses to beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings or a special relationship with Google. Guarantees often cover phrases few people search for, or come with refund conditions that are hard to meet.

Source: Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?

Ask exactly what is guaranteed: which keywords, which search engine, in which location, measured how and for how long. Then ask how many people search for those keywords each month, and compare that with the searches your customers make.

Can anyone guarantee citations in ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity?

No. AI assistants write each answer when the question is asked, and the sources they cite change with the wording of the question and over time. No provider controls which sources an assistant chooses. For its own AI features, Google states that indexing and serving are not guaranteed, even for pages that meet its requirements and follow its policies. A provider can make your pages easier to find, read and quote, and it should describe its work in those terms.

Source: Google Search Central, AI features and your website

Be equally careful with claims that a particular file or markup is required to appear in AI answers. Google says you do not need to create new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in its AI features. Files such as llms.txt may help some tools read a site, but a provider should not present them as a requirement for being cited.

What if an agency says its methods are secret or proprietary?

Treat secrecy as a warning sign. Google's guidance says to be careful if a company is secretive or will not clearly explain what it intends to do, and to ask for an explanation of the changes it proposes. SEO and AI SEO work consists of changes to your site and to your presence on other sites, and as the site owner you are responsible for them, so you are entitled to know what they are.

Source: Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?

A named framework or process is fine as a way of organising work. What matters is whether the agency will tell you, in writing, what it changed on your site and what it did elsewhere on your behalf, such as building links or creating listings. If it will not, you cannot check the work or undo it.

Why are link networks and paid links a risk?

Google's spam policies define link spam as creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate search rankings, and they list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as an example, including paying for posts that contain links. Automated link creation services are listed too. Google says sites that violate its spam policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all, and it is your site that is affected.

Source: Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search

Ask any agency how it earns links, and ask to see examples of links it has built for other clients. Legitimate approaches include content other sites choose to reference, digital PR and real partnerships. Google's policies allow paid placements for advertising when the link is qualified with a rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" attribute.

What SEO contract terms should I avoid?

Watch for long minimum terms with no exit, automatic renewals you have to catch in a short window, fees for releasing your own accounts or content, and terms that let the agency change the price or scope with no matching right for you. Since 9 November 2023, proposing or relying on unfair terms in standard form contracts with small businesses has been banned in Australia, and the ACCC's examples include terms that allow only one party to end the contract or change its terms.

Source: ACCC, Contracts (unfair contract terms)

The protection covers small businesses with fewer than 100 employees or less than $10 million in annual turnover, and applies to standard form contracts made, renewed or varied on or after 9 November 2023. Read the term, renewal, exit and ownership clauses before you sign, and ask for changes where a clause gives the agency a right that you do not have.

Why should I have access to my own SEO data?

If the only evidence of progress comes from the agency's own dashboards, you cannot check it. Google Search Console and Google Analytics are free and should be set up in your business's name, with the agency given user access. A provider that will not give you access to the underlying data, or that reports only rankings from its own tools, is asking you to take its word for the results.

Ask for the report template before you sign, and check that each figure in it can be traced to a source you can open. For reporting on AI search, ask for the list of questions tested and the answers recorded, as well as any score built from them.

What are the red flags when hiring an SEO agency?

Google's guidance also warns about SEO firms that email you out of the blue, that offer to submit your site to thousands of search engines, or that advertise a “priority submit” to Google. Other warning signs include pressure to sign quickly, a monthly price with no list of tasks behind it, and an offer to fix your visibility in AI answers before anyone has looked at how your site is built.

Source: Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?